Former Grand Mufti of Lebanon Mohammed Rashid Qabbani Issues Fatwa: It Is an Islamic Duty to Wage Jihad to Liberate Palestine from the "Foreign Jewish Occupiers," All Peace Agreements with Them Null and Void Former Grand Mufti of Lebanon Mohammed Rashid Qabbani issued a fatwa according to which Palestinians and all Arabs and Muslims have a duty to wage Jihad "to liberate Palestine from the occupation of the Jews of the Balfour Declaration." Sheikh Qabbani compared the liberation of Palestine today to the Jihad waged by the Prophet Muhammad, by Omar ibn Al-Khattab, and by Saladin, and declared that Islam forbids the Palestinians and all Arab and Muslim countries "to surrender, to reconcile, to make peace treaties, or to concede a single inch of Arab Palestinian land to the foreign Jewish occupiers." Sheikh Qabbani's address aired on Al-Mayadeen TV on May 16.

Hamas Leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar: We Are Coordinating with Hizbullah, Iran on an Almost Daily BasisHamas leader in Gaza Yahya Sinwar said, in an interview with the Lebanese Al-Mayadeen TV channel, that with the help of Iran, Hamas has managed to significantly develop its capabilities. Sinwar added that Iran has provided Hamas’s Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam Brigades and other Gaza factions "a lot of money, equipment, and expertise." He further said that his organization had "excellent" relations with Hizbullah and that there is coordination on an "almost daily" basis between the two organizations, and described Hamas’s relations with Iran, the IRGC, and Qasem Solimani as "strong and warm." The interview aired on May 21.

EU lawmakers grill Iranians on terror plots and Holocaust denial

(January 23, 2018 / JNS) In a rare hearing, European Union lawmakers directly challenged visiting Iranian lawmakers during a special meeting in the European Parliament on Tuesday.

The Iranian delegation to the EU Parliament—which is led by Alaeddin Boroujerdi, chairman for the Committee for Foreign Policy and National Security of the Islamic Consultative Assembly of Iran—was grilled by EU lawmakers on Iran’s human rights violations and Holocaust denial as well as questions about recent police raids in Germany on suspected Iranian agents targeting Israeli and Jewish sites.

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“I’m from Germany,” said David McAllister, Chair of the EU Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee. “The media reported that the suspects are accused of spying on possible Israeli and/or Jewish terror attack targets, including Jewish kindergartens. This would be highly disturbing.”

According to reports, Boroujerdi failed to answer questions on the alleged terror plots and Holocaust denial, telling the EU lawmakers that “we (Iran) do not accept the Zionist regime.”

“Mr. McAllister and several of his colleagues who also harshly criticized the regime—in particular on its threats to Israel, support for terrorism, and Holocaust denial—conveyed the crucial message to Tehran that the EU will not tolerate the regime’s nefarious and criminal behavior,” said Schwammenthal.

“All too often, EU leaders fail to do just that—to publicly confront Iran. Predictably, this has only served to embolden Iran’s aggression,” he added.

Yet some Jewish groups condemned the EU Parliament’s decision to host Alaeddin, arguing that the platform gives him legitimacy.

“While the European Commission has legitimate reasons to be an interlocutor with the Iranian regime, the Parliament’s Committee on Foreign Affairs decision to invite Mr. Boroujerdi for ‘an exchange of views’ legitimizes him as someone whose views are worthy of consideration,” Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League, wrote in a letter to the EU Parliament.